It was queried if it was factual, but WCC officers subsequently repeated it before Westbury Town Council.

A senior WCC officer's report to County Councillors went on to claim: 'the DfT confirmed in December 2006 that following
consideration of the 10 year Regional Funding Allocation programme submitted by the South West Regional Assembly that it
anticipates funding the A350 Westbury Bypass in the next three years.'

A350 Westbury Bypass was in Annex A 'Schemes for funding within the next three years (2006 – 2009)'. However, the
WCC report failed to convey that this DfT letter also stated 'subject to the points noted', ie: A350 Westbury Bypass (Wilts)
was actually under a heading of 'Schemes which do not yet have approval (i.e. not accepted into the Programme)'. The
6 July 2006 DfT letter was specific about this - and much more. There was an asterisk by Westbury Bypass, which the
Annex told us 'denotes scheme from region's table 2A'. In the body of the DfT letter it is made clear that 'schemes
from table 2A have been identified as potential additions to the RFA, subject to environmental impact, affordability,
deliverability and statutory procedures.' '... Note that schemes in table 1 have been firmly prioritised...' And 'DfT
provision of funding will be subject to schemes demonstrating sufficient value for money and being supported by a suitable
business case...' And the 6 July 2006 DfT letter further qualified schemes expected to be funded during the next
three years as those currently under construction and those expected to start construction; neither category applying to
Wiltshire County Council's now-defunct Eastern Westbury Bypass scheme.

This was the letter which politicised officers were apparently referring to in the instructed from above story that the DfT
had made some sort of commitment towards funding a Westbury Bypass. By omitting the all-important qualifying
parameters, it seems a misrepresentation of the facts to the public and to councillors outside of the controlling
Conservative clique at Wiltshire Council.

From what we had heard, WCC's Westbury Bypass scheme was only in the tables at all through persistent demanding by WCC,
threatening non-cooperation with the Regional Assembly if WCC did not get its way. However, it can be seen that the
scheme was actually far from any commitment of Government funding.

WCC's heading for its funding presentation, above, as the 'Current Position' was not factual at any time.

Other Wiltshire County Council presentation spin about a 'Single RFA Programme' and 'Programme Entry May/June 2007' was also
highly misleading. The Westbury Bypass scheme has never been approved.

WCC was hoping to manoeuvere its scheme up the tables - and was presenting it as a fait-accompli.

The result had been to create a false impression that WCC's eastern Westbury bypass was on its way.

'Full Approval Spring/Summer 2008' may have fooled some councillors. Though who believes it now...?